Art Aronson

This is a 7* play on COLORADO

Colorado has been struggling of late, but this is a great spot for them to get two points as the lowly Kings pay a visit. Although they have lost 10 of their last 12 games (2-8-2), the Avalanche are still 3rd in the Central Division (50 points) and should be able to turn things around on a five-game homestand that goes past next weekend’s All-Star Break. The Avs are coming off a very treacherous five-game Canadian trip where they picked up just one win, in Toronto of all places, and things ended in embarrassing fashion with a loss to Ottawa. I don’t see them losing to another last place team though, not at home. The Avs’ nine home wins is near the bottom of the league, but they’ve been pretty unlucky with five losses here coming past regulation. They’ve also played only 20 home games, a league low. The Kings are off a rare win, but remain the lowest scoring team in the league. They are averaging less than two goals per game on the road. Play on COLORADO

AAA

This is a 10* play on ARIZONA STATE

Not even a month ago, Arizona State was ranked 18th in the country. They welcome in Kansas (ranked #1 at the time) and upset the Jayhawks 80-76 as a three-point underdog. That the Sun Devils were only a three-point underdog to Kansas, even at home, shows they are a team to be respected. That win got ASU as high as #17 in the polls, but they’ve gone just 3-3 since and barely beat Oregon State Thursday night here at home. However, this sets up the Sun Devils as a strong value play on tonight’s card. They’ll be facing an Oregon team whose season has taken a more permanent turn for the worse with Bol Bol done for the year. The Ducks are also 3-3 in their last six games, but unlike Arizona State, I don’t really see any kind of turnaround forthcoming. If you don’t think Arizona State won’t be motivated by the fact they’ve lost seven in a row to Oregon, think again. Despite the Oregon State game ending up as a close call, the Sun Devils did have an 18-point lead in the second half. Look for Bobby Hurley’s team to win big Saturday night. Play on ARIZONA STATE. 

AAA

This is a 10* play on WESTERN MICHIGAN

With a snowstorm expected to hit the area, gametime has been moved up to 2:30 ET, rather than the originally scheduled 6:00 ET tip time. For Western Michigan, I guess that means they’ll get to go home with at least an ATS win a little earlier than expected! Despite Bowling Green being undefeated in conference play and WMU being winless, these teams are a lot closer in true talent than their respective records show. Bowling Green has been the betting favorite in only one of its four MAC games thus far while Western Michigan just had to play the best team in the league, Buffalo. Before that, they faced a good Toledo team. Bowling Green will be a pretty clear drop in class from those two previous opponents and the Broncos did win outright in their lone road game in this price range (+6.5 to +9) when they went to Oakland and won 85-77. Despite their 6-11 SU record, WMU has only been outscored by about 1 point per game over the course of the season. Play on WESTERN MICHIGAN 

AAA

Wright State has had a very unlucky year. Five losses by four points or less. They did win a close one Thursday though, beating Youngstown State 80-74. Saturday finds the Raiders trying to win back to back games for just the third time this season. The previous two instances all occurred at home.  Here they would have to turn the trick all on the road. Cleveland State is having an even tougher season at 5-15 SU and they’ve opened Horizon League play by going 0-7. But giving the Vikings hope is that Wright State is playing its FIFTH straight road game. That’s pretty rare. Cleveland State’s leading scorer is Tyree Appleby. He is listed as questionable here, stemming from the illness that kept him out of the Northern Kentucky game. Not having him would not be ideal, but this just hasn’t been Wright State’s year. I look for the home underdog to surprise. Play on CLEVELAND STATE. 

This is a 10* play on UNDER Cleveland-Denver

Being that they are 17-point underdogs, Cleveland probably doesn’t stand much of a chance here. It definitely doesn’t help that they just played last night in Utah (lost 115-99). Those around the league will tell you that the Utah-Denver back to back set is among the most treacherous in the league. A bad team like the Cavs isn’t going to fare well. But the pointspread is also really high, so that’s why I’m staying away from playing the side, even though I just won with Denver Thursday night as they blew out the Bulls by 30. I expect this to be a bit more of a low-scoring affair as Cleveland is pretty bad offensively, especially with such limited options. The roster is really thin right now, Kevin Love the most notable absence. Given this game is probably going to be a blowout, look for scoring to slow down late and the game to stay Under. Play UNDER Cleveland-Denver

AAA

This is an 8* play on CHARLOTTE.

The Suns and Hornets each last played on Thursday. The way those games went I believe will have a bearing on today’s contest. Phoenix took a brutal loss up in Toronto, losing at the buzzer in a game effort. They were obviously big underdogs up in Canada, but fought hard throughout only to come up just short. This is a tough turnaround having to head down to Charlotte, who was quite successful on Thursday as they clobbered Sacramento 114-95. That was the Hornets second straight win as they’d previously upset San Antonio at the end of a six-game swing out West. At home, I think the Hornets have a pretty clear edge here. They recently (as in earlier this month) beat the Suns out in Phoenix, 119-113. The Suns shot 51.5% overall from the field in that game, including 10 of 25 (40%) from three-point range. They aren’t likely to shoot that well again playing on the road. The Suns are an awful 4-18 away from home, getting outscored by almost 12 points per game. Charlotte is 15-8 at home and should win big Saturday. Play on CHARLOTTE 

AAA